


The last obstacle

by MightyLioness



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Father-Son Relationship, I still have an emotions towards this game, I was inspired and I wrote this, I'm Bad At Tagging, Kinda, also known as a path of pain, knight is determined, or just a bit of masochist, pale king fucked up too many times tbh, the nightmare of white palace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 03:19:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17717048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MightyLioness/pseuds/MightyLioness
Summary: Latch onto the wall…Charge the Heart…Dash.Latch onto the platform.Jump…Miss.





	The last obstacle

**Author's Note:**

> Or in other words - my thoughts and suffering experienced during the last segment of Path of Pain.

Latch onto the wall…

Charge the Heart…

Dash.

Latch onto the platform.

Jump…

_Miss._

 

They’ve picked themselves from the floor once again, tiny claws grasping their nail in a tighter grip. Their emotionless eyes were scanning the bath in front, trying to find the solution to the most recent error. Putting their nail back onto their back they took a few steps back, paying no attention to the statue of their hollow sibling.

 

Latch.

Dash

Jump.

Hit the spear…

Hit the saw…

_Miss._

 

There was no purpose for the knight to return to the White Palace, into this forgotten dream of past glory. They had no purpose to return, their last visit rewarded them enough. Yet there was something more, some strange pull that forced them to come back, to check every nook and cranny of this sealed realm.

Now it seems that they found more than they wanted to see.

 

Latch.

Dash.

Jump.

Hit the spear.

Hit the saw.

And another one…. And ano…

_Miss._

 

The White Palace presented itself as a new challenge, a new playground that punished them for each foolish mistake and each misstep. Their shell, formed by the void and softer than the shells of all bugs, still ached with the pain of healed wounds inflicted by all obstacles. Yet they still persisted, climbing up and above to finally be rewarded by part of the charm, one half of the whole. Now, changed by the void, it was resting on top of their chest alongside with other charms particularly selected in an attempt to pass through.

 

Latch.

Dash.

Jump.

Hit the spear.

Hit the saw.  
And another one… And another… One more…

_Miss_

 

Their claw tenderly touched the charm taken from the Hive, its hardened surface glimmering in the pale light. It was probably the most useful charm, helping them through their journey in White Palace. With its golden liquid coating newly inflicted wounds their shell was mended back with time, leaving only an echo of past pain. Combining it with the charm received from the Grubfather as a token of gratitude it was significantly easier to get enough Soul. Not that it was an issue, as the statues of their sibling provide them with an unlimited amount of Soul. Convenient, given the difficulty of their current situation.

 

Latch.

Dash.

Jump.

Hit the spear.

Hit the saw.  
And another one… And another… One…

_Miss._

 

At their first visit they paid little to no attention, focused on each trap on their path. This time they were prepared, swinging their nail at each wall in search of hidden passages, secrets that this dream could hold within. It was lucky to find this sealed entrance hidden between spinning saws. With the glowing seal adorning the wall and the egg with the message, it was clear to see it is something special. “ _To witness secrets sealed, one must endure the harshest punishment_ ” it whispered to them in order to discourage, to leave and forget. Yet they didn’t. They pushed through the saws, through the spears and past their own limitations to reach it.

 

Latch.

Dash.

Jump.

Hit the spear.

Hit the saw.  
And another one… And another… One more… And…

_Miss._

 

And they were there, almost at the end of the path with the one last obstacle on their way. They could sense it, the long-awaited end worth all the pain and all failed attempts. All they had to do is to figure out the last segment, the remaining part causing so much trouble. As they waited patiently for their wounds to mend, they looked up only to let out a scream, the mix of Soul and Shadow fusing together in form of powerful spell. It was loud enough to overcome the constant buzzing sound of saws, for a few moments covering it with silence.

 They had to focus. They had to pass through. They had to succeed.

 

Latch.

Dash.

Jump.

Hit the spear.

Hit the saw.  
And another one… And another… One more… And… 

_Dash through._

 

They fell down through the passage, white vines being an inches away from their shell. Barely dodging spikes the knight hit the ground, kneeling to absorb the impact of their fall. A familiar clank of the armour caught their attention just before noticing the spinning claw blade aimed at their mask. Dashing through the weapon they were faced with two Kingsmoulds, prepared to eliminate the intruder. The knight froze for a split second, enough for one of it to attack and almost throw them onto vines. A newly inflicted wound was oozing void and they knew they had to finish their enemy quick. They could not die there.

 

Strike the ground.

Again.

And again...

And again...

 _And again_.

 

With their Soul depleted almost completely the knight managed to hit the remaining Kingsmould one more time, breaking the armour into pieces. Now, with no threat the seal blocking the lone passage was no more, allowing them to pass through. They quickly walked forward only to slow down as their eyes rested on the familiar silhouette radiating with the pale light shining brighter than they saw before. Their father… The Pale King was standing in front of them, out of their reach, and next to him…

 

…

 

The knight stops, footsteps echoing faintly in the silence as they watched closely. For a second no movement could be seen, resembling more a statues carved from stone rather than living beings. But there was a twitch and the Pale King twist their crowned head towards the vessel, despite empty looking eyes his gaze keeping an unfathomable power within. It last only for a moment and, just as their appearance starts to change into particles of Essence, the knight can see it.

 

Their siblings look back.

 

The knight had no time to react before the light became too bright even for their eyes. They did not move, allowing it to envelop them. It took only a second before they woke up to the sound of the saws above, the previously open pathway now sealed shut. There was no possibility to return and to witness it once more, but it didn’t matter.

 

The knight found out what they had to know.

**Author's Note:**

> Cut to me returning back to White Palace to check any shortcuts for future gameplay and to see all hidden rooms. 
> 
> Honestly, I spent around four or five hours only to beat Path of Pain and I stuck at the last segment. I hate pogoing on saws and spikes. 
> 
> But I did it. Yay for me :3


End file.
